Esports world champion, debuted as the center of a talent show

"It smells so good!" Yao Wei, who had been a little listless, suddenly perked up and rushed inside with a cheer.

Hong Liu was standing in the corner talking to the staff when he heard Yao Wei's noise and looked up.

Jiang Zhiyu, Lin Sen, and Wei Shuang followed Yao Wei into the dormitory building lobby.

All ninety-seven trainees finally arrived.

Guided by the staff, they found a chair and sat down. Once everyone was seated, Hong Liu raised the microphone.

"There are some things that are not easy to say on the show, so I'm saying them here instead."

"As everyone knows, tonight will be the last time we are all together."

Upon hearing this, the restless trainees all froze in shock.

Hong Liu continued without pausing, "I am very grateful for everyone's hard work and for everyone's active cooperation with the production team."

"Tomorrow morning, we will conduct the first round of eliminations, and 36 trainees will leave. Although this is the end of your show, it is only the beginning of your lives. I wish you all a brighter future."

"Alright, let's eat!" Hong Liu waved his hand and grinned, signaling everyone to start eating.

This hot pot meal was arguably the most relaxing dinner the trainees had had since joining the camp. Here, there were no cameras, no stage practice pressure, only carefree release and emotional catharsis.

Jiang Zhiyu picked up a sprig of dried bamboo shoot and put it in his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound and no expression. But he had to admit that vegetables cooked in chili oil were a hundred times tastier than boiled salad, and he couldn't help but nod as he chewed.

Just then, faint crying could be heard from not far away.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a trainee at the next table sobbing on his companion's shoulder.

"I don't want to be eliminated." The person's voice trembled, filled with deep resentment.

The trainees' rankings were public and updated in real time until the first public performance. Trainees who kept their phones private knew their rankings at that time.

Those trainees with low initial rankings and low first-round votes felt powerless to change the situation and were inevitably somewhat desperate at this moment.

Infected by the trainees' quiet sobs, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became somber, and a sense of oppression lingered until the event ended.

Jiang Zhiyu smelled strongly of hot pot, so he grabbed a new set of pajamas and planned to take a shower.

As soon as he reached the shower room door, he saw the boy who had just cried at the hot pot party standing dazedly by the window, looking at the brightly lit program crew office building across the street.

Hearing Jiang Zhiyu's footsteps, he turned around as if waking from a dream, his eyes meeting Jiang Zhiyu's directly.

He paused for a moment before speaking, "Jiang Zhiyu?"

Jiang Zhiyu stopped and nodded to him: "Hello."

"I'm so envious of you."

etc--

Why is there no prelude to this sentence?

Jiang Zhiyu's expression remained unchanged, but he felt a pang of anxiety, knowing he wasn't good at handling interpersonal relationships.

He didn't speak, but simply accompanied the other person as they gazed at the office building.

"You are like the brightest star in the night sky, forever dazzling, surrounded by people..."

Jiang Zhiyu looked up at the sky. The night sky was beautiful tonight, with countless stars adorning the night sky and shining brightly together.

"Actually, the brightness of many stars depends on their size and distance. Sometimes, just changing the angle can make a big difference." Jiang Zhiyu paused. "Everyone is a star, and so are you. Everyone shines their brightest light from a certain angle."

The boy stared blankly at Jiang Zhiyu, then suddenly chuckled softly, "Now I know why you're so popular."

Jiang Zhiyu looked at him with a slightly bewildered expression, wondering why the other had suddenly come to this realization.

"You're right, after I get out, I'll go be my little brother's star first. You guys went to watch the game today, right? My brother's been pestering me to watch esports matches, and I've been using the excuse of getting him into a top high school to keep him in check. Wait... his idol seems to have quit playing..."

The boy scratched his head in distress, but it was clear that his mood had improved. He waved goodbye to Jiang Zhiyu, muttered to himself, and turned to leave.

This familiar reason immediately reminded Jiang Zhiyu of the little boy who had left a deep impression on him during his last live stream.

It can't be that much of a coincidence.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't think any further and turned to walk into the shower room.

The next day, he got up very early.

The first elimination round of the live recording required wearing trainee uniforms, so he took advantage of the fact that Mi Lan and Lin Sen hadn't gotten up yet and stood in front of the wardrobe to change his clothes.

Just as he finished putting on his long-sleeved shirt and turned to grab his uniform jacket, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Mi Lan sitting on the edge of the bed, staring straight at him.

Jiang Zhiyu was so startled that his hand froze. The two stared at each other, neither of them saying a word.

After a long silence, Jiang Zhiyu broke it softly: "You're awake?"

Mi Lan hummed in agreement, then pointed to his arm: "I see it, your scar?"

Jiang Zhiyu pursed his lips, reached down and pulled his sleeve down a bit, casually making up an excuse: "I scratched it when I was playing as a kid."

Mi Lan neither said she believed nor she disbelieved.

He could tell that it was definitely not caused by "playing around." The crisscrossing scars, some deep and some shallow, were clearly the product of an emotional breakdown.

Many emotions flashed through Mi Lan's eyes, finally settling on worry. His heart clenched, and countless questions flashed through his mind.

But respecting Jiang Zhiyu's wish not to say it aloud, he suppressed his urge to ask and skipped the step of seeking the truth: "I know a cream that works very well for removing scars, would you like me to recommend it?"

Jiang Zhiyu hesitated for a moment, then did not refuse: "Okay."

Mi Lan got up to wash up. As she passed Jiang Zhiyu, she couldn't help but say, "If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime. We're friends."

"Mm," Jiang Zhiyu replied softly, lowering his eyes to conceal his expression.

The sky gradually brightened.

The three people in room 310, who had already gotten up, finished getting ready, put on their trainee uniforms, and headed to the live broadcast room, which contained a pyramid-shaped seating area.

The other trainees traveling with him had different expressions, but without exception, they were all somewhat tense.

This ranking announcement will not only eliminate the bottom 36 trainees, but also reveal the rankings of everyone.

For many, today is a pivotal moment that will determine their future trajectory.

As they entered the live broadcast room, they were greeted by a much looser pyramid-shaped seating arrangement, with visibly fewer chairs placed on it.

The trainees stood on one side of the stage according to their ranking, waiting for the live broadcast to begin.

Yu Lan walked out from backstage and stood in the position designated by the staff, her gaze sweeping over the trainees.

Seeing that several people looked visibly nervous, she comforted them, "Don't be nervous, keep your best expression when facing your fans and the final result."

The default interface on the big screen flashed and changed to the logo of "Shining Project".

The red dot on the live streaming camera lit up, signaling to Yu Lan that the live stream had started.

Yu Lan raised the microphone: "Hello everyone, this is the first round of ranking and elimination for 'Shining Project'."